Llywydd, today, we were called at 10:30 as spokespeople to meet with the Cabinet Secretary to discuss the proposals going forward, and I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that. He has maintained since he came into post that he wanted to do so with absolute respect, and that's something we want to work forward to, in positive, going forward, terms. However, I have to be honest, to then present a Green Paper 70 pages long with very little time to absorb it and be able to scrutinise you directly doesn't give us much, and I think there is a lack of respect there. However, we move on; we are where we are, and we do have spokespersons' questions tomorrow, so no doubt I'll be teasing some of the more contentious points out.

But, you know, reform in any guise, however required, can be contentious, especially given that this is yet another attempt by your Government to get a grip of a failed local government system, and it's failed under a Welsh Labour Government. I don't blame our hard-working staff, our officers or our elected members across all 22 authorities. The blame for 20 years of running our local government system to a point that's been described by the WLGA as seeing services

'wearing down to the point of collapse and the public are...frustrated in terms of paying council tax and yet seeing key community functions cut or closed'—.

Indeed, it is telling that there is actually no mention in this about even improving the quality of services to local residents, no mention of the fundamental principles required with any reform, of financial governance, democratic accountability and financial probity. We know the whole position currently is unsustainable and that something has to give. Again, that is what the WLGA say.

The biggest area in local government where up-front savings could be made without wholesale restructuring is through joint working in back-office services, and that's been raised with all the regulatory bodies and others who are interested in us delivering public services effectively across Wales. That doesn't require any change to legislation, doesn't affect democratic representation, and could be initiated immediately. The back-office aspects of local government are relegated to pages 41 and 42 of the Green Paper, and one very much gets the impression that it is an afterthought. That, to me, speaks many volumes in that not only has this Welsh Labour Government run our health service down since devolution, but, through a lack of strategic vision and leadership, we now have a very broken system of public services here in Wales.

You reference the Williams commission in your Green Paper, highlighting some of the problems facing local government. Yet, it doesn't acknowledge many of the other 62 recommendations made by that commission.

This will now be the third attempt and third announcement that there is an intention by your Government to gerrymander—I mean reorganise local government. Over the past seven years, in my role as the Welsh Conservative spokesperson on local government, this portfolio has changed hands in the Cabinet no less than five times with three varying models of local government reform going forward. I suppose my first question to the Cabinet Secretary himself is: do you believe, in all honesty, that you will even still be in post to see the actual delivery of any fundamental and positive reform moving forward?

In 2016, it was also reported that your predecessor, Mark Drakeford, promised the Carmarthenshire council leader his council would stand alone for at least 10 years, instead supporting the option of regional working. We now find out that the Green Paper seeks to scrap regional working and, in doing so, you are throwing councils, their staff, into more turmoil and uncertainty.

Now, I think this comes to three proposals for local government reform in two years. The number of publications and consultations listed in annex A—eight in two years—demonstrates just how long a journey it has been from Williams to now. It has certainly not been direct. I note the options outlined in the Green Paper and consider that only one protects local authorities from voluntary mergers. Were your predecessor's assurances to Carmarthenshire council, therefore, wrong with regard to option 1 and voluntary mergers? Now that these are back on the table, will you be making approaches to those authorities, and what have you done to date for those who came forward with voluntary proposal mergers before, to make amends to those that were quite badly thrown out by a previous Cabinet, well, a Minister, at the time?

With regard to options 2 and 3, we face the same concerns regarding the actual process towards mergers. Where is your cost analysis for actually implementing a system that will, in effect, see 22 local authorities taken down to 10? On council tax harmonisation, little is said within this paper. It says that there's been convergence, and, in the majority of places, the differences today are small and this should not be an insurmountable issue. But we know, in Monmouthshire, for instance, for band E properties, it's £300 less than Blaenau Gwent. And you actually seriously want to merge Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, with Monmouthshire. We know what this is about. This is about working with the new electoral system, going forward. And it is—this is a political reform. It's not about bringing good services to our people. 

On transition committees and shadow authorities, we have the same questions as in the last Assembly. How will they be accountable? What will the cost be? Who will safeguard and plan them well ahead? I note you've explained you intend to devolve significant powers to local authorities—it's taken you 20 years to actually even think of doing that—for example, land use, planning, housing, skills, transport and environment, as well as issues relating to funding, finance and taxation. Cabinet Secretary, this is a considerable breadth of scope, and I do remain, actually, cynical as to whether this Welsh Government is up for it. Essentially, offering up more ways to tax our hard-working local residents—we know that the Local Government Association Labour group in England has called for higher council tax, a new land value tax and a hotel tax, so will he—